This week, Northern Health welcomes medical professionals from Mongolia as part of a study tour to encourage shared learning.

Guests included the Governor of Umnugobi, Mr N Naranbaatar, heads of health and directors of health for the province, UNFPA representatives and Dr Ganbold, head of Critical Care Medicine and Anaesthiology Department, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences for Mongolia.

Umnugobi is the southernmost province, with a resident population of about 65,000 people, and almost the same number of migrant population due to large-scale mining. Umnugobi has high rates of adolescent birth, sexually transmitted infections, road traffic injuries and mortality.

Due to geographical and other similarities with the Mongolian context, regional health services in Australia offer a good example of health care governance and effective service provision to remote and transient populations.

The purpose of the study tour is to facilitate learning and identify models and approaches to be implemented in the Umnugobi context. It seeks to identify opportunities for shared learning between the two hospitals, as well as develop a plan for possible knowledge and staff exchange to improve capacity and formation of working groups. It also helps to develop and implement areas of mutual interest and or benefit, particularly relating to rural and remote health practices.

The delegation was met by Dr Amanda Baric, who is no stranger to Mongolia, having first visited there in 2005. In 2008, along with Associate Professor David Pescod, Dr Baric was responsible for signing an MOU with the Mongolian government to improve anaesthetic training.

The following year, an 18 month training was first delivered in Mongolia. The training program was developed by A. Prof. Pescod, Dr Baric and other Northern Health anaesthetists. Since 2009, eight groups of 28 to 30 trainees have passed through the program.

“Part of the attraction of coming to work at Northern Hospital is that it has a worldwide reputation of providing education and service in low to middle-income countries,” said A. Prof. Pescod.
Since 2008, a combined MSA/ASA scientific congress (ASC) is held annually in Mongolia. Each year, the team includes at least six doctors from Northern Health.

Dr Baric said it was great seeing Dr Ganbold again and building on the good relationship that Northern Health has with Dr Ganbold and his team.

“It was great to have an opportunity to show the Mongolian team our hospital and how it works. The unit managers of the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit and Theatre were happy to share the inner workings of our hospital. The visitors were very pleased to learn our model of care and it was a pleasure to be able to share some of our insights into the workings of a busy metropolitan hospital,” said Dr Baric.

Main image shows Dr Ganbold with Dr John Ferguson, Northern Health Chief Medical Officer

In this week’s Get to know: Q&A with…we chat to Elijah Armour, HR Advisor at Northern Health.

What is your coffee order?

Soy cappuccino or green tea with honey.

Tell us about your Northern Health journey?

I started at Northern Health in September 2016. I came across a HR Administrator role that was fixed term for six months and thought I would give it a crack. I had some experience in a HR capacity in a team leader role and luckily I got the gig! Six months later, I was made permanent with the HR Department at Northern Health.

I then worked in a role that was a mix between a HR Recruitment Coordinator and a generalist role. Towards the end of last year, my role developed into a HR generalist role, where I am required to utilise my generalist knowledge across Human Resources to deliver the best service to all staff members.

I am now joining the Medical Workforce Unit as a DiT Coordinator/Lead – Recruitment, Operations & Rostering, which is a new and exciting step forward in my career.

What do you like most about your role?

I like the day-to-day challenges as I am often required to think outside the box and solve problems. I also used to manage work visa applications for staff members that worked at Northern Hospital. I always found it rewarding to get a visa for a staff member.

Can you tell us a bit about your career before starting at Northern?

I was working as an activation team leader. Essentially, I would set up and install interactive inflatables, like a 10 metre tall inflatable snow globe, and even used to work on the ground team with hot air balloons. That was very fun, but not exactly what I was looking for in terms of a career.

What is your greatest achievement or favourite memory since working here?

One of my greatest achievements happened while I was working in the Recruitment Team. I am proud to have successfully managed the immigration/work visas portfolio for Northern Health. This happened between April 2017 to March 2018, a time which has been referred to as one of the biggest immigration reforms in Australia since the John Howard government.

What are some things people don’t know about you?

I play guitar and sing, I will take the odd gig from time to time. I also love singing at weddings.

I am mad about travelling; doesn’t help that my partner is from Norway! I even lived in Norway for about three months. So far I have travelled 12 countries across four continents and I am only getting started.

What do you like to do after work?

I have many hobbies, for example, I “try” to go to the gym regularly and I also play futsal.

I’m a Roman Catholic, so I regularly attend mass and support St Luke’s Parish in Lalor. I just recently arrived back from my trip to Panama, which was a gathering for Catholic youth around the world to attend a mass with Pope Francis – it is called World Youth Day. I spent a night in an enormous field with about 1 million other people attending a vigil with the pope. I have done this two times before, in Poland and Spain.

How would you describe Northern Health in one sentence?

A passionate organisation that fundamentally cares for all their staff and genuinely tries to provide the northern suburbs with the best service possible.

Who would you nominate next for a staff profile and why?

I would like to nominate John Cozzolino,  the team leader of the HR Operations Team (soon to be payroll team). I would like to nominate him so people know who plays a major role in making sure everybody is paid correctly and on time and how much work that can be!

This morning, Northern Health observed ANZAC Day at Bundoora Centre. ANZAC Day is a day that has been closely associated with our patients at Bundoora for almost a decade.

Quoting Sir William Deane, Governor-General of Australia, Jennifer Williams AM, Board Chair Northern Health, delivered the ANZAC Address;

“ANZAC is not merely about loss. It is about courage and endurance and love of country and mateship and good humour and the survival of a sense of self-worth and decency in the face of dreadful odds.”

The service had a sense of community, with our own Director Engineering and Building Supplies, Colin Woodward, acting as Master of Ceremonies. Many Northern Health staff also featured in the service, including Peter McWilliam, Northern Health and Northern Health Foundation Board member, Lucy Dove, Acting Operations Director/Director of Nursing Broadmeadows Hospital, Jeanette Eddy, Senior Outpatient Nurse Bundoora Centre, Bromwen Battye, Pastoral Care Bundoora Centre and Lora Davies, Director of Nursing, Site Director and Director of Operations Bundoora Centre.

St Damien’s Primary School Bundoora, who have also been closely associated with our ANZAC Day Service, sang a hymn in addition to the National Anthem.

A special feature of today were the giant poppies created by Laurelle Bland, Occupational Therapist at Northern Hospital.

Colin Woodward concluded with the words of author and poet Anthony Hincks:

“The ANZAC Day tradition,

Has meaning for us all,

So in that minute’s silence,

Remember those that fell,

Fighting for the freedom,

The freedom for us all.”

Special thanks to Patricia Mawkes, Watsonia RSL, Catafalque Party from the Defence Force School of Signals, Snez Poposka – ISS Bundoora Centre, Christine McGowan and all the volunteers, Grainne Ionnides, Kirralee Jensen and Lora Davies from Bundoora Centre and Colin Woodward, MC for today.

At the recent Quarterly Staff Recognition Awards, Melanie Riseley, Clinical Midwifery Educator, received the award for ‘Excellence in Safety’.

Melanie was nominated by Debra Bourne, CNMO Divisional Director Nursing, Women’s, Children’s, who says Melanie has recognised the importance of improving staff wellbeing, morale and culture within the maternity unit.

“As an educator, she has listened to many staff individually talk to her about workplace stress and issues with work-life balance,” Debra added.

Melanie has been working at Northern Health for eight years as a midwife and feels privileged to have worked with and supported many women and their families from a range of cultural backgrounds, as they transition into the role of parents.

“Moving into the role of Clinical Midwifery Educator in late 2017 has allowed me to not only support women in their journey, but to also support undergraduate and post graduate midwifery students, along with my midwifery colleagues within Northern Health in training, learning and growth,” she said.

Winning the award proved that her aspirations to come to work every day hoping to be a positive role model, as well as a passionate and engaging professional, haven’t gone unnoticed.

“It is so very special when your colleagues see, acknowledge and appreciate the work you are doing to improve care, culture and safety within your work place. I am blessed to work in a profession and work place that presents and encourages so many learning opportunities,” she said.

Debra added that Melanie extensively researched issues around staff wellbeing and improving culture and morale, and has developed a monthly program for the next 12 months focussed on staff wellbeing in the maternity unit.

This in-service education program will focus on multiple strategies to improve staff wellbeing, resilience and self-care.

The topic plan includes mindfulness, positive communication and mental health. Melanie is passionate about creating a happy and supportive work place, where staff are supported and want to come to work. By assisting in creating this environment, her role in educating staff and supporting them, she is able to provide safety, quality and excellence in patient care,” Debra added.

Sponsored by Maxxia and BankVic, our Quarterly Staff Recognition Awards have been designed to formally recognise outstanding contributions by our employees and celebrate staff excellence. Nominations for the next Awards are now open and will close 1 May 2019. To nominate a staff member click here.

The Flu Vaccination Campaign will start on 1 May 2019, with the launch event at Northern Hospital Epping scheduled for 10.30 am.

All staff, volunteers, visitors and patients are welcome to attend.

Anyone can be affected by the flu, that’s why it is so important that everyone in the community protects themselves against the flu this season, and takes steps to protect their own health and wellbeing, as well as those around them.

Roslyn Payne, Director of Nursing and Midwifery, said the flu isn’t ‘just the flu’ and it can be really serious.

“Vaccination gives people the opportunity to protect themselves, their family members and the wider community. The health effects of the flu disrupt not only your day, but they can be life-threatening, especially for at-risk population. Come and get your flu shot from us for free,” she said.

Licia Perillo, Staff Health Consultant, added that everyone should bring their families and use the opportunity to get their free vaccination.

“The vaccine is slightly different this year, as there are new components in it. People need to be re-vaccinated every year, as the vaccine is different every season,” she said.

Last year, Northern Health had a very successful flu campaign, proudly providing over 10,000 vaccines to our community.

Looking at the number of staff vaccinated, Northern Health has succeeded in vaccinating over 90% of staff within 3 weeks of the campaign.

That is a record number for Northern Health, and makes us third in the state.

Northern Health is looking at innovative ways of creating a sustainable future in healthcare, with digital being a key component. We know our catchment’s population will almost double by 2030 and already has a social and ethnic diversity which produces significant challenges in healthcare delivery.

This week Northern Health hosted the Inaugural Digital Health Futures Summit at the Northern Centre for Health Education and Research (NCHER).

Attendees included Frank McGuire, Parliamentary Secretary for Medical Research and Parliamentary Secretary of Crime Prevention – and Member for Broadmeadows, presenters from University of Melbourne School of Computing and Information Systems and the School of Population and Global Health, representatives from Tata Consultancy Services, Northern Health Board Director Peter McWilliam and Research Lead Professor Peter Brooks.

“We increasingly depend on technology in aspects of our daily lives – communicating with friends, making appointments, purchasing things from entertainment to clothes and banking, and now it is time to see how technology can enable health care” Professor Peter Brooks said.

“We realise for a health service to be sustainable in the future, we need to do things differently,” said Northern Health Chief Executive Siva Sivarajah.

“Whilst looking at innovative ways of creating additional acute capacity, we need to look at other ways to help our patients stay well and improve patient satisfaction.”

“There are great opportunities to create a sustainable health system using new models of care and the right technology,” Siva said.

“Digital will help put clinicians and patients on more of an equal footing.”

The two day conference worked to identify further solutions to some of the important clinical issues that Northern Health faces every day and develop solutions by looking at new approaches to models of care, different funding models and partnerships with the community – and many of these solutions will involve technology.

“The major challenge for Northern Health is thinking creatively about how we provide high quality care, and ensure that we can support people in their homes when we discharge them. This is the basis of the High Reliability Organisation (HRO) and the ‘Staying Well’ programs – the major projects adopted by Northern Health,” Professor Brooks said.

Bernie Maher, Head of Business Development at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and one of the attendees, found the conference very insightful – “Today, I am hoping to increase our collaboration with Northern Health, University of Melbourne, Department of Health and TCS.”

During the last couple of weeks, we have been working on implementing the new Healthy Choices Policy, with the aim to improve staff and community well being through healthy eating.

The Healthy Choices campaign has been developed by the state government and offers guidance to hospitals about improving food options for all staff and visitors. It involves a traffic light system where foods will be labelled as RED “Limit”, AMBER “Choose Carefully” and GREEN “Best Choices.”

The colour labels are not about banning certain foods – it’s more about making the healthy choice the easy choice for everyone.

This campaign demonstrates Northern Health’s leadership dedication to assisting everyone to stay healthy and well at work.

Over the next few months, you may start to notice some improvements to our vending machines, retail outlets and catering options. We want to ensure that there are healthier choices available to staff, at all times of the day and night.

Some of our catering teams have already done a fantastic job of including wholemeal bread and colourful fruit platters at events. We are introducing nourishing snacks to vending machines options so those here late at night can have foods for sustained energy and not just a sugar rush.

There will still be some RED choices available to satisfy a sweet tooth – but they will be in a “fun size” portion or in less eye-catching places. Furthermore, you can still bring your favourite baked goods or other snacks from home.

All we want to achieve is a healthy food environment to make our staff and visitors feel well in the long term.

To read the full policy, please click here.

Debra Bourne

CNMO Divisional Director Nursing Women’s, Children’s

Northern Health is pleased to partner with Share the Dignity as the first Victorian hospital to install a #Pinkbox Dignity Vending Machine.

Speaking at the launch, Northern Health Director of Respiratory Medicine, Dr Katharine See, who was responsible for initiating the project, said Northern Health believes that all women deserve dignity and justice, and is pleased to be the first hospital in Victoria to install a #Pinkbox.

“Partnering with Share the Dignity is another way that Northern Health is able to support vulnerable women in our community, and is a wonderful adjunct to our commitment to a culture of respectful relationships and gender equality,” said Dr See.

Share the Dignity created the world’s first completely free vending machine, which dispenses period packs containing two pads and six tampons. There are currently 100 #Pinkbox Dignity Vending Machines installed across Australia.

“So many women, every month, have to forfeit sanitary products because they cannot afford them,” said Share the Dignity National Pinkbox Coordinator, Claudette Laidlaw.

Last week alone, the #Pinkbox vending machines dispensed 858 period packs, with this number rising each month.

Share the Dignity founder, Rochelle Courtenay, said the organisation holds Christmas appeals every November, encouraging donations of pre-loved handbags, filled with sanitary products and necessities.

“Last year was the first year we were able to say the bag went to every woman spending Christmas in a domestic violence shelter,” she said.

Rochelle added that she is very proud of the work they do, and especially proud of the #Pinkbox Vending Machines.

The idea for the free vending machines came from Rochelle’s visit to a homeless shelter in Hosier Lane, when she realised women in need don’t have easy access to sanitary products, and are limited in choice, often surrounded by men.

“I am always reminded how important these machines are. Women often come to me and say that after fleeing domestic violence they have a need for legal help, accommodation assistance and help with the kids, and often feel like they shouldn’t be asking for sanitary products after all that,” she said.

These free vending machines make sure everyone gets the dignity they deserve.

“This is the first hospital in Melbourne to install the machine and I hope there will be many more following the lead,” Rochelle added.